Your intrepid reporter gets jazzy
Although St.Petersburg is renowned for it’s opera, ballet and architecture, it also has a strong literary culture and with that goes the intellectual stimulus of jazz. The Hat Bar, which is conveniently just around the corner from where I live, is a cool dive with young musicians queuing up to play each evening. There’s also the chance of a jazz superstar coming along to jam after a concert elsewhere in the city. The trick is to get a seat, which really means arriving before 10:30pm. The venue is square shaped,with a three sided bar to the rear and the stage upfront. Limited snacks are available-but they do know how to make decent cocktails (I always order a Negroni here) and have a good selection of Russian draft and bottled beers. It’s a hang out dive, so not expensive, and usually open until 4-5am.
There’s a documentary about it here, and the website is here.
The inside wall mural
